Heroin seizures in Calgary on the rise, authorities say

CBSA officers at Calgary International Airport discovered about 6.7 kilograms of heroin hidden in two suitcases last week.

Photograph by: Photo courtesy CBSA

For border officers at Calgary International Airport, there was something about the man arriving from London with two hard-shell suitcases that didn’t seem right.

They took his bags and emptied them, but found they still felt excessively heavy, and the lining in one of the bags appeared torn.

An X-ray revealed a mysterious mass inside both suitcases.

When the lining was peeled away, false bottoms were uncovered, which hid a dangerous cache.

On Thursday, nearly a week after the discovery, Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP displayed the contents — 6.7 kilograms of heroin, bagged and wrapped in tape.

“This is new for us, for sure,” said Candace Lyle, the CBSA’s acting director of operations at the Calgary International Airport, speaking on the sophisticated concealment method used in this case.

“It was so well done, it didn’t look like it had been tampered with at all.”

Rashid Abdulla Mussa, 44, a resident of Canada with no fixed address, was charged with importation of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking. Mussa appeared in court on Monday and remains in custody.

This is the largest heroin bust at the airport this year, representing 67,000 doses or more, said RCMP Insp. Gord Sereda, operations officer of federal policing for southern Alberta.

It’s the latest in a growing tally of heroin seizures in Calgary, according to figures from CBSA and the Calgary Police Service.

Last year, the CBSA had a “banner year” with 20 kilograms of the drug seized at the airport. In 2012, almost 4.5 kilograms was seized, under two kilograms in 2011, and under a kilogram in 2010.

The Calgary Police Service said heroin was seized in 46 citywide incidents in 2013, compared with 28 incidents in 2012, 28 incidents in 2011 and 13 incidents in 2010.

Sereda said he can’t pinpoint why those numbers are going up, since it can be a range of factors, including improved detection methods.

He warned the number of seizures are not necessarily indicative of an increased heroin problem or increased heroin usage in the region. The drugs, though seized in the city, may not be destined for Calgary, he said.

The consequences of heroin use and addiction are grabbing headlines after Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was discovered dead of an apparent heroin overdose on Sunday.

Frontline workers helping people battle addictions say heroin is not the most commonly used drug in the city. Both Alpha House and Fresh Start Recovery Centre report relatively low numbers of clients who identify heroin as their primary drug of choice.

But heroin is dangerous and deadly, and people from all walks of life use and become addicted to the drug.

Bruce Holstead, Fresh Start’s director of operations, said most people start out using considerably less dangerous drugs before moving on to heroin. But once they start, it’s a regimen they’re forced to keep up.

“A heroin user is a maintenance user, and if they don’t use, they get sick,” Holstead said. “It’s probably one of the most powerfully addictive drugs.”

The RCMP and the CBSA say they will continue to work with partner agencies, including the Calgary Police Service, to keep the deadly drug off the streets.

“It is a significant problem and we are gathering more intelligence on this area,” Sereda said.